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Spoilers The Doctor Who Thread
- Thread starter Jaffa Cake
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New Series Start date
BBC America are starting the new series on April 23 so presumably well get it on the same day (The now traditional Easter Saturday start)
http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/03/09/doctor-who-premiere-date/
BBC America are starting the new series on April 23 so presumably well get it on the same day (The now traditional Easter Saturday start)
http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/03/09/doctor-who-premiere-date/
New Series Start date
BBC America are starting the new series on April 23 so presumably well get it on the same day (The now traditional Easter Saturday start)
http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/03/09/doctor-who-premiere-date/
That's a f*%king cool poster. I can't wait!!!
For them who missed it, these are links to the Doctor Who Red Nose Day Specials which are both very amusing.
PART ONE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51JtuEa_OPc
PART TWO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkmiefoRcfU
Here is the iTunes link to it for them who wish to contribute a bit to Comic Releif and watch them.
Pond flirting with herself iss excellent. Moffat is a writing genious.
PART ONE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51JtuEa_OPc
PART TWO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkmiefoRcfU
Here is the iTunes link to it for them who wish to contribute a bit to Comic Releif and watch them.
Pond flirting with herself iss excellent. Moffat is a writing genious.
Some scary looking stuff in there, I can't wait!
I agree. Very sad news indeed. Her current series (Sarah Jane Chronicles) was actually pretty good as well.
Did everyone see it then? Already really looking forward to having some of it explained! Bring on next weeks episode! 
Did everyone see it then? Already really looking forward to having some of it explained! Bring on next weeks episode!
It was a terrific episode. Not quite sure what is going on, but them creatures who erase themselves from your memory as soon as you look away from them certainly put you on edge.
Interesting for them to put a two parter on the beginning of a series. (Also, Pond pregnant? Where the hell did that just appear from and why was it so important to tell the Doctor?)
Looking forward to next week.
Yeah, that was a bit out of nowhere! Could be an event in the Doctors future, but in Amys past?
I'm pretty sure that we'll find out that she isn't pregnant. It's just her subconscious trying to tell the Doctor something.
As has become traditional in this thread, I'm going to repost my review of the first episode from my blog. Prepare for text!
***
Doctor Who‘s back, and for a nice change the show’s started off with a two-parter from Moffat titled “The Impossible Astronaut” / “Day of the Moon”. I presume that in part (har) this change is afforded by the show’s transition to a biseasonal format that is quite an interesting experiment, and reminiscent of Battlestar Galactica‘s later seasons. I think it will do the series nothing but good, as the show reclaims the autumnal, fading-day territory that it used to rule so completely in its original incarnation.
I watch Moffat episodes very carefully because he’s a conscientious showrunner. All the proof of it aside, it’s obvious in every episode that he loves the series… but then there was no question that Russell Davies did either. I adore his wit, and there’s really no one better for banter in dialogue (with River in particular – her maternal “bless!” at the Doctor’s misassumption was a highlight, and her fury at being labeled “Mrs Robinson” by the Doctor another.) He’s also an expert at setup and payoff, using his sitcom pedigree to create intricate plot structures that are always one step ahead, and usually sideways as well. Amy’s desperation to tell something “very important” to the Doctor at the cliffhanger is a masterful misdirection that can only be accomplished by being very sensitive during the script process to what a hypothetical audience expects from a situation. In this case, that Amy was about to spill the secret of the Doctor’s death.
The problems I have with the new Doctor Who are mostly genetic by now. Unlike last year, I can’t delude myself into thinking Moffat’s going to breed them away this time around. Along with Moffat’s extreme cleverness comes an irreverence that, in principle, fits well with the historical representation of the Doctor. The Doctor’s always been a rebel, but there’s a problem here that I’ve been trying to put my finger on for a couple of seasons. That the Doctor might be “ridiculous” with time in order to get Rory and Amy’s attention brought it home for me, though: the Doctor really doesn’t give a **** about history (or, I’m about to argue, anything at all really). For all his pretensions as its guardian, the Doctor, and the series as a whole, treats both the past and the future with such disregard for its significance and its difference that I’m tempted to call the time our heroes spend in the unnamed “American desert,” in Washington D.C, Florida, France, the tunnels under the “commandante’s chamber,” along with remarks that the American founding fathers “fancied” the Doctor etc. etc. etc. a kind of historical vandalism.
I’m calling the new Doctor Who revisionist not because I seriously think that they’re reinterpreting history with any kind of bad faith, but because the monotonous hyperactivity that they constantly apply betrays a fear of the different ways of thinking that make history, well, different… and worth learning about. I wrote about this in my review of “Vincent and the Doctor”, but the superficiality of nu Who’s style makes it seem like anything that isn’t the show’s manic brand of stylish and sexy is something to be laughed at (read: dismissed). Discounting even the “pure” historicals of Doctor Who‘s early years that featured no aliens, episodes like “The Visitation” and “The Horror of Fang Rock” (to borrow medial episodes from two very different eras of the show) treated the past with a great deal of respect for being different than us and our Doctor’s philosophy. More troubling, perhaps, is the connotation that the past was not that different from the present. While I can see the positivity in that message and acknowledge its popularity today, it is also seeks to ignore or even eliminate diversity, and diversity of thought.
So we open with the usual attention-seeking opener, and plunge very quickly into an ostentatious number of cliches – the yellow school bus, the mesas on the horizon, the stetson, the car, the gun in River’s holster, the diner, even the Roswell-inspired aliens. Hypocritically, we’re asked to take this reunion of the Doctor’s most trusted companions seriously, and we get a chain-link of set pieces like the picnic on the lake, the Doctor’s body burning, an argument between good cop and bad cop bodyguards, and many more in between. A couple of the scenarios are so familiar that I resent the amount of time I know Moffat is going to spend clearing them up. Amy sees something against the sun but can’t remember what it is; the Doctor dies; an astronaut shows up and raises his visor but we don’t see his face. To Moffat’s credit, I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but I know he’s going to spend many minutes cleverly working his way out of the Doctor’s death – of course he is. But by making that the mystery, it commits story time (potentially across the series) that could otherwise be dedicated to more interesting material (I’ll get to that next) to plot.
“The Impossible Astronaut” is a title that works because of its juxtaposition of childlike fascinations [so much so Moffat]. But it, and references to “impossible” things during the episode, portend to maybe, just maybe a theme. Impossibility is an interesting subject, and one that Doctor Who is uniquely suited to explore, but I’ve been down this route before, looking for insight in all the wrong places. It’s a pity, because an insightful theme doesn’t preclude adventure, or even any of the insipid conventions that the new series has trapped itself in. I thought it was the one thing missing in the otherwise very clever “A Christmas Carol”, the Christmas special that Moffat also wrote. Around the same time, I watched the Christmas episode of Community, and in less than half an hour, the sitcom did what mystical, magical, wonderful Doctor Who couldn’t in twice the time and used a powerful theme to make insightful observations about its characters and, by extension, us all. Moffat was clever, though.
“Moffat was clever, though” just about sums up my thoughts about “The Impossible Astronaut”. Next week we’ll be privy to some Houdini-like escapism from him, I’m sure, as he escapes from his own magnificently constructed plot, but I’ll be watching for some trace of the profound instead.
***
Doctor Who‘s back, and for a nice change the show’s started off with a two-parter from Moffat titled “The Impossible Astronaut” / “Day of the Moon”. I presume that in part (har) this change is afforded by the show’s transition to a biseasonal format that is quite an interesting experiment, and reminiscent of Battlestar Galactica‘s later seasons. I think it will do the series nothing but good, as the show reclaims the autumnal, fading-day territory that it used to rule so completely in its original incarnation.
I watch Moffat episodes very carefully because he’s a conscientious showrunner. All the proof of it aside, it’s obvious in every episode that he loves the series… but then there was no question that Russell Davies did either. I adore his wit, and there’s really no one better for banter in dialogue (with River in particular – her maternal “bless!” at the Doctor’s misassumption was a highlight, and her fury at being labeled “Mrs Robinson” by the Doctor another.) He’s also an expert at setup and payoff, using his sitcom pedigree to create intricate plot structures that are always one step ahead, and usually sideways as well. Amy’s desperation to tell something “very important” to the Doctor at the cliffhanger is a masterful misdirection that can only be accomplished by being very sensitive during the script process to what a hypothetical audience expects from a situation. In this case, that Amy was about to spill the secret of the Doctor’s death.
The problems I have with the new Doctor Who are mostly genetic by now. Unlike last year, I can’t delude myself into thinking Moffat’s going to breed them away this time around. Along with Moffat’s extreme cleverness comes an irreverence that, in principle, fits well with the historical representation of the Doctor. The Doctor’s always been a rebel, but there’s a problem here that I’ve been trying to put my finger on for a couple of seasons. That the Doctor might be “ridiculous” with time in order to get Rory and Amy’s attention brought it home for me, though: the Doctor really doesn’t give a **** about history (or, I’m about to argue, anything at all really). For all his pretensions as its guardian, the Doctor, and the series as a whole, treats both the past and the future with such disregard for its significance and its difference that I’m tempted to call the time our heroes spend in the unnamed “American desert,” in Washington D.C, Florida, France, the tunnels under the “commandante’s chamber,” along with remarks that the American founding fathers “fancied” the Doctor etc. etc. etc. a kind of historical vandalism.
I’m calling the new Doctor Who revisionist not because I seriously think that they’re reinterpreting history with any kind of bad faith, but because the monotonous hyperactivity that they constantly apply betrays a fear of the different ways of thinking that make history, well, different… and worth learning about. I wrote about this in my review of “Vincent and the Doctor”, but the superficiality of nu Who’s style makes it seem like anything that isn’t the show’s manic brand of stylish and sexy is something to be laughed at (read: dismissed). Discounting even the “pure” historicals of Doctor Who‘s early years that featured no aliens, episodes like “The Visitation” and “The Horror of Fang Rock” (to borrow medial episodes from two very different eras of the show) treated the past with a great deal of respect for being different than us and our Doctor’s philosophy. More troubling, perhaps, is the connotation that the past was not that different from the present. While I can see the positivity in that message and acknowledge its popularity today, it is also seeks to ignore or even eliminate diversity, and diversity of thought.
So we open with the usual attention-seeking opener, and plunge very quickly into an ostentatious number of cliches – the yellow school bus, the mesas on the horizon, the stetson, the car, the gun in River’s holster, the diner, even the Roswell-inspired aliens. Hypocritically, we’re asked to take this reunion of the Doctor’s most trusted companions seriously, and we get a chain-link of set pieces like the picnic on the lake, the Doctor’s body burning, an argument between good cop and bad cop bodyguards, and many more in between. A couple of the scenarios are so familiar that I resent the amount of time I know Moffat is going to spend clearing them up. Amy sees something against the sun but can’t remember what it is; the Doctor dies; an astronaut shows up and raises his visor but we don’t see his face. To Moffat’s credit, I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but I know he’s going to spend many minutes cleverly working his way out of the Doctor’s death – of course he is. But by making that the mystery, it commits story time (potentially across the series) that could otherwise be dedicated to more interesting material (I’ll get to that next) to plot.
“The Impossible Astronaut” is a title that works because of its juxtaposition of childlike fascinations [so much so Moffat]. But it, and references to “impossible” things during the episode, portend to maybe, just maybe a theme. Impossibility is an interesting subject, and one that Doctor Who is uniquely suited to explore, but I’ve been down this route before, looking for insight in all the wrong places. It’s a pity, because an insightful theme doesn’t preclude adventure, or even any of the insipid conventions that the new series has trapped itself in. I thought it was the one thing missing in the otherwise very clever “A Christmas Carol”, the Christmas special that Moffat also wrote. Around the same time, I watched the Christmas episode of Community, and in less than half an hour, the sitcom did what mystical, magical, wonderful Doctor Who couldn’t in twice the time and used a powerful theme to make insightful observations about its characters and, by extension, us all. Moffat was clever, though.
“Moffat was clever, though” just about sums up my thoughts about “The Impossible Astronaut”. Next week we’ll be privy to some Houdini-like escapism from him, I’m sure, as he escapes from his own magnificently constructed plot, but I’ll be watching for some trace of the profound instead.
Or maybe even the child in the spacesuit she shot was her child from the future???
I think my imagination is running away with itself now possibly. Highly unlikely, but would be a great twist. I'm usually miles off when it comes to guessing what comes next.
well its back
and I'm happy about that.
However i'll think i'll reserve judgement till the end of the series, as there's obviously a lot of stuff getting set up that will pay off later. (hopefully)
One thing thought, I wonder if SM is having trouble coming up with character names. As "Canton" is a suburb of Cardiff and incidentally the area I saw DW's esteemed head writer sauntering along the road last year.
and I'm happy about that.
However i'll think i'll reserve judgement till the end of the series, as there's obviously a lot of stuff getting set up that will pay off later. (hopefully)
One thing thought, I wonder if SM is having trouble coming up with character names. As "Canton" is a suburb of Cardiff and incidentally the area I saw DW's esteemed head writer sauntering along the road last year.
I had thought that the child was Jenny, the Doctor's daughter (S4E6), and had been telling other fans the same, until I read in more detail the original plot. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Doctor's_Daughter
In my defense, it had been a while since I saw that one...
In my defense, it had been a while since I saw that one...
Well, i watched Day of the Moon last night, very intriguing. Spent the first 10 minutes and the last 10 minutes quite confused. I don't claim to be all that knowledgeable but i thought "the silence" stuff was sorted out in the last series? And why did they want to get to the moon? I wasn't paying loads of attention so i'm sure i've missed it, but what was the point in the space suit and the little girl? Do you think it'll all get explained later in the series and does the result of this episode mean the Dr's death will not happen link the first episode?
There's an awful lot left to be sorted in the fallout from these episodes based on how I understand it. White text ahead!!
The Silence didn't want to go to the moon, they wanted an environment suit to put the girl into - hence making humans want to go to the moon to precipitate the need for a spacesuit.
Why they needed the spacesuit I don't know. And the mystery of the girl (inferred to be Amy's daughter) is clearly a plot thread for the rest of the series.
As is the random woman who appeared in that door slot.
And, again as I grasp it, none of what happened in the episode actually confirms that the Doctor will no longer be killed - really killed - by the Impossible Astronaut. Still, early days yet and I'm enjoying it so far...
Looks like I was right about the whole child thing being Amy's.
I have the feeling Moffat is attempting to get around the whole Time Lords only have 13 regenerations in this series so that the programme can continue in the future. With the Doctor supposedly dead from the child in the spacesuit (now thought to be both Amy's child and a Timelord (or at least part Timelord)), I have the feeling the Doctor will be resurrected by using the child (or what the child has regenerated into) later on in the series, thus giving the Doctor a fresh set of regenerations.
I think.
I have the feeling Moffat is attempting to get around the whole Time Lords only have 13 regenerations in this series so that the programme can continue in the future. With the Doctor supposedly dead from the child in the spacesuit (now thought to be both Amy's child and a Timelord (or at least part Timelord)), I have the feeling the Doctor will be resurrected by using the child (or what the child has regenerated into) later on in the series, thus giving the Doctor a fresh set of regenerations.
I think.
Well…
The picture in the girl's room would suggest that she is indeed Amy's daughter – unless there's some trickery afoot on the part of the Silence – and it looks as if she's got a bit of Time Lord in her, or at the very least the ability to regenerate. I don't think said child will actually prove to be the Doctor's (for one thing, that might be a bit much for the hero of what is essentially a family TV show), which leaves the question of how she acquired such an ability. A side effect of Tardis travel in the womb, or some strange DNA manipulation by unknown forces?
It seems as if the Silence are trying to build a Tardis for some unknown purpose, The Lodger showed us that their vehicle was missing a suitable pilot – until a Time Lord showed up. I think such a pilot is the only 'component' they're missing, and they've manipulated Amy's child in some way in the hope that she will fulfil this role. This is perhaps foreshadowed by River explaining in the opening episode how precious Time Lord DNA before the Doctor's body was burnt, having an individual possessing their abilities may be vital to the Silence's nefarious plans.
It also leaves a further question – what will become of the girl in the future? I have my suspicions – and I may well be totally wrong here – that the girl is a young River Song.
The picture in the girl's room would suggest that she is indeed Amy's daughter – unless there's some trickery afoot on the part of the Silence – and it looks as if she's got a bit of Time Lord in her, or at the very least the ability to regenerate. I don't think said child will actually prove to be the Doctor's (for one thing, that might be a bit much for the hero of what is essentially a family TV show), which leaves the question of how she acquired such an ability. A side effect of Tardis travel in the womb, or some strange DNA manipulation by unknown forces?
It seems as if the Silence are trying to build a Tardis for some unknown purpose, The Lodger showed us that their vehicle was missing a suitable pilot – until a Time Lord showed up. I think such a pilot is the only 'component' they're missing, and they've manipulated Amy's child in some way in the hope that she will fulfil this role. This is perhaps foreshadowed by River explaining in the opening episode how precious Time Lord DNA before the Doctor's body was burnt, having an individual possessing their abilities may be vital to the Silence's nefarious plans.
It also leaves a further question – what will become of the girl in the future? I have my suspicions – and I may well be totally wrong here – that the girl is a young River Song.